Black history is a sensitive but necessary topic in all public discourses in contemporary societies worldwide. People of color have been portrayed as inferior, and have been recipients of the highest degree of historical injustices, especially in America. The plight of African-Americans has historically received limited focus from mainstream media agencies, bar for defiant individuals, companies, and agencies that felt it necessary to bring to light the predicament of this population segment. Ida Bell Wells-Barnett is one such figure whose journalistic contributions are crucial in advancing the discourse of Black history.
In an era when women played a subdued role at the helm, Ida B. Wells beat the odds to emerge as an influential voice of the African-American community. The African-American investigative journalist influenced proceedings in the fields of education, feminism, and civil rights movement throughout their life (1862-1931). One of Ida B. Wells’ contributions was the anti-lynching crusade in the 1890s. The abolitionist was motivated by a dream for a just society, which inspired them to become an integral figure in the groups fighting for justice for African-Americans. Ida B. Wells typifies the power of a woman, as their demanding occupation did not prevent them from pursuing other aspects of life. Born into slavery in the Holly Springs of Mississippi, Wells was orphaned at the age of 16. Consequently, they went into child labor early to keep the family together. Their life changed when they moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in search of a better paying job. They attended Fisk University and Rust College, and in 1895 married Ferdinand Barnett with whom they had four children (McMurry & Edwards, 2000).
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Ida B. Wells is known for their activism rather than authorship, but some of the works they penned were of immense significance. Their editorials on the newspapers challenged Jim Crow laws in the South that legalized lynching as a punishment method for the black slaves. According to McMurry and Edwards (2000), The Free Speech was a detailed editorial of Wells investigation on lynching, and was followed by another detailed account on the New York Age, a black newspaper. The combined research was published in the pamphlet Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases. This was followed by The Red Records , another detailed report on lynching in the US since the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. The pamphlets defined what Ida B. Wells stood against in advocating for justice for African-Americans. Therefore, one can argue that they highlighted and laid bare to the world the horrors meted to blacks by white supremacists. In doing so, Wells contributed to black history by advancing the discourse that black people lives matter and their rights should be respected.
References
McMurry, L. O., & Edwards, L. M. (2000). To keep the waters troubled: The life of Ida B. Wells . Oxford University Press.
